The Hobbit Essays (578 words) - The Hobbit, New Zealand Films

The Hobbit The Hobbit tells the story of a comfortable, friendly creature named Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo, like most hobbits, is similar to a human, but about half the size, and much more nible because they have leathery soles on thier feet, and not nearly as loud. Bilbo gets caught up in mysterious affairs much greater than his own hobbit-life affairs when, at the recommendation of a mysterious old wizard named Gandalf, he is hired as a burglar by a group of dwarves. These dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield, son of Throror, son of Thrain are going to the Lonely Mountain in the East to reclaim their family's massive treasure from the great dragon Smaug who lives deep in the bowls of the lonely mountain. Along the way, the company gets into trouble with goblins who live in the misty mountains, spiders who live in Mirkwood forest, and other destructive and harmful creatures, and they often escape only because of the assistance of Gandalf and other good creatures they meet. Bilbo proves himself essenti al to the quest, saving the dwarves on many occasions with his valor and skill. His success is partly due to a magic ring that he takes from a strange, dark creature named Gollum, who lives in the dank, dark caves below the Misty Mountains. Gollum is clammy and slimy and he refers to his ring as my precious. Bilbo even manages to discover Smaug's weak spot, the bare area under his ear, which allows the dragon to be killed and the treasure divided. However, the dwarves cannot enjoy the gold alone, since it lures humans and elves, some of whom have a just claim to a portion of it. Thorin's unwillingness to share the treasure almost leads to war between the dwarves and the elves and humans, but instead war is forced upon all of them by the goblins and wargs (wild wolves). All the good races(dwarfs, men, elves, eagles, and Dain's soldiers) are thus forced to unite against their common enemies. They succeed in defeating the evil creatures, but at the cost of the life of Thorin and many o thers. After the battle, the good races enjoy the treasure in peace rather than fighting over it. Bilbo, weary but happy to have played a part in great affairs, returns to his quiet home at Bag End in the Shire. Because of his unhobbit-like adventures, he is never really accepted back into the community of Hobbiton. Though Tolkien's world is one of fantasy, he designed it to reflect certain truths about the real world. The Hobbit addresses the problem of determing the right way for a hobbit to live, not what society tells us to do. Should he or she concern himself with great deeds and wars, and risk losing the humble perspective afforded by the simple life? Or should the ordinary person never look outside his or her own quiet existence, and risk ignoring the larger perspective that might have allowed him to do great things for the common good? The truth that emerges from The Hobbit is that, if one is called on to play a part in great affairs--as we all are, at least according to Tol kien's Christian perspective--then one should not shirk one's duty. To perform that duty well, however, one must never lose sight of one's own insignificance in the larger scheme of things, nor lose respect for the value of the simple life. Book Reports

Problem with the Pledge essays

Problem with the Pledge essays The Pledge of Allegiance is spoken daily in many schools throughout the United States. During the last several years this fact has become a source of contempt for many parents, who do not promote a particular religious belief in their homes. Reciting wording specific to a particular set of religious beliefs has recently caused some problems concerning constitutional validity, the ideals of our founding fathers, and even the basic reasons for the pledge to exist, however there is a simple solution, that could satisfy all Americans, whether they question the wording under God, or not. The words first known as the pledge of allegiance are now simply a base for the current pledge. This base was first published in honor of the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. In the fall of 1892 children began to recite the unperfected version of the recitation that is now familiar to all Americans. There was no mention of God; in fact God was not mentioned through several revisions. After fifteen failed attempts by Congress to change the wording, during the Cold War Dwight Eisenhower attended a sermon given by Reverend George Docherty. Reverend Docherty belittled the Pledge of that time saying it could be the pledge of any republic (). The president agreed with Reverend Dochertys sentiments and three days later a bill was proposed. Five months later the words under God were added in a joint session of the House and Senate. The underlying currents of anti-communism and anti-atheistic were present during the speech when President Eisenhower said that We shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our countrys most powerful resource in peace and war (). Pope John Paul II stated after the last change that the pledge had become a patriotic oath and public prayer. The words under God were put in specifically to make clear the American stand...

Management Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management Report - Assignment Example This doesn't mean that the MD has started doubting the integrity of Directors. It simply means that to run an organization effectively and efficiently certain conventions and procedures are to be followed. Having 'many' LANs and many 'known' and 'unknown' computers within a department does not give reflection of a professional approach. Development of an integrated approach encompassing safe growing, harvesting, processing and retail/foodservice handling practices from farm to table required a real time information network with effective means of enhancing fresh fruits safety. Today we are in the 'information age', which effectively means It can be safely said that, 'Information is power! It is an asset that can help overcome uncertainty and open new avenues for opportunity. Any business can make fullest use of the information if it reaches the right person, at the right time, in the right format. This requires a dependable backbone in the form of an Information Network. Real time networking arrangements are required not only for Information Management at the headquarter end, but it is required for the procurement, storage, distribution, order confirmations, consignment tracking etc. For example some fruits are chilling injury sensitive requiring warm weather growing conditions. Warm humid conditions may favor human pathogen persistence and increase wildlife pest pressure and activity. Many wildlife species (birds, insects, amphibians and snakes) are known to be potential carriers of human pathogens. Heavy rains may also cause certain fruits like melons to be covered with soil due to rain splashing. All this updated stuff has to be communicated to the workforce in the field so that the information can be translated into the practical solution. Therefore to start with; There has to be no "unofficial" PC. As is apparent from the company's policy, the MD wants all computers to be network enabled therefore all computers can be networked to access 'relevant' data from the central server. The present policy appears to be to connect all PC's to the company's network in order to provide all personnel with access to corporate data. To start with not all persons are required to access all the information all the time. Therefore if the 'sales' team is provided with 'procurement' data all the time, it will be redundant for the sales team. Therefore the networking must be done in such a fashion that only relevant data is accessed by the relevant department. This will have a dual benefit, first the unconcerned departments won't be inundated with redundant data and secondly, speed of the network will be reasonably good enough. In case there's a need for one department to communicate some info to the other department (which will of course be required), it can be routed through the central server, so that it leaves a logging into the central server for monitoring and subsequent follow up. The company's corporate network is made up of a number of

Major Depression Disorder Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Major Depression Disorder - Case Study Example The negative effects of MDD are often manifested in the patient’s inability to function normally in a personal and social capacity. Given her other pre-existing conditions, many of the symptoms are enhanced and result in a series of clinical manifestations discussed herein.Mrs. X’s subjective manifestation was initially evident when she has begun to shun speech and the company of others, she spends a lot of time by herself and the few time she speaks she is cynical and very pessimistic. When the social worker asked her if she wanted to go to talk to a doctor, she said he would only try to poison her again and refused anything to do with hospitals. She also contemplated suicide a lot and she would sometimes be heard muttering that God should not take away her health and her ability to â€Å"escape it all†. Her language was generally soft spoken but she displayed some latency in speech, tending to speak slowly and hesitantly and sometimes seeming to lose her stream of thought and wondering of the course of the conversation. On admission, her MMSE (mini mental examination) score was 25/30, he thought the content was low in tempo and the logical coherence was at times challenging. However, after she had undergone medication and two courses of ECT, her speech improved becoming more engaging and she was able to come up with more constructive and logical thought; in the short run, ECT tends to produce more immediate results than antidepressants, however, it negatively affected her short term memory albeit temporally.

Public Relation(Marketing) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Relation(Marketing) - Essay Example The ever diminishing turn-out in elections for the European Parliament - it fell in all but three member-states during the recent Euro elections - is just one eloquent expression of popular disaffection and indifference towards the EU" (Clegg, 2003, p.5). The focus of the present essay is the perception of British citizens of 50 of European Union and related institutions. The nationwide EU research, conducted in summer 2006, comprised 1,347 persons of British citizenship, 45% of whom were people over 50 (Eurobarometer 65). As the report holds, the British are known for their typical answers 'I don't care' and 'I don't know', but citizens over 50 have specific position. For instance, when asked about their opinion concerning the EU membership, 50 per cent of respondents answered 'It is a good idea', 16 per cent found it unacceptable, whereas there were 34 per cent, who were just unaware of current political issues. As for seniors, the huge percentage of people over 50 (30 per cent) view EU membership as problem and don't support it, and only 23 per cent found the idea sound and reasonable. Still, there are 47% of indifferent (or poorly-informed) citizens, the majority of who are aged over 65 and who are currently not able of following all news broadcasts. Nevertheless, the survey suggests that the situation has improved comparing to 46-per-cent unawareness in summer 2005 (Eurobarometer 63). On the other hand, the related dynamics among seniors is slower - whereas in 2005, the percentage of indifferent or unaware citizens aged over 50 was 49%, the recent research shows only 2-per cent decrease. This fact is clear and explainable: the survey was participated by various age groups and social classes - from students to businesspeople, and the natural increase of education level is exactly what the investigation has measured. On the other hand, citizens over 50 are less motivated in terms of political inquiries, so they are likely to remain either uninformed or uninterested. The exact percentage of uninformed citizens is 12 per cent: "What is also encouraging to note is that only 125 of the UK poll say that they know nothing at all about the European Union compared with 18 per cent a year ago. There is a welcome decline in the negative aspect of the UK data. A year ago, 28% of UK citizens said they never looked for information on the EU. It has now reduced slightly, but significantly, to 23%" (Eurobarometer 65, p.3). On the other hand, White et al highlights that this positive step forward is being done by the population under 45, whereas the development of consciousness in citizens over 50 has been in state of stagnation for five years. For instance, only 8 per cent of British seniors made attempts to find more extensive information about the EU (White, 2006), and their number has enjoyed only 1,5 per cent increase over the last year. Earlier research (Lafferty, 2004) introduces certain target audience for cognitive influence, and categorized the UK population by age and gender. Female students from 23 to 28 turned out the most perceptive and sensitive in terms of recent information campaigns, run by the EU. People over 50 are considered neither influential (i.e. they are not able and not motivated to persuade their surroundings) not sensitive to new information. Lafferty indicates that the typical profile of a UK citizen over 50 is following: a person interested in domestic news and concerned about governmental

Effects of Public and Private Monopolies on Consumer

Effects of Public and Private Monopolies on Consumer Public and private monopolies what are the positive and negative effects on the consumer An economy comprises of a large collection of firms and consumers that operate on the basis of market mechanisms known as supply and demand. These are used by firms to determine the level of production, the output required to meet consumption, the price as well as the consumption level. From a microeconomic point of view, markets that exist within the economy are governed by these mechanisms but in actuality this is not the case. Inconsistencies do occur in markets due to competition and firms within the markets tendency to earn more profits. Power to over produce and earn more profits comes from successful firms that attain equilibrium in the market or through mergers and acquisitions. As a result of horizontal integration (in which two or more firms join hands to produce in one industry) and vertical integration (firm develops market dominance by integrating indifferent stages of production) a market tends to develop monopolies(Tutor2u.com 2004). In such a market firms aim to generate higher profitability by increasing market share and by exploiting economies of scale. Competition in the market therefore is reduced as the result of firms growing through internal expansion. This kind of tactics according to economists harms the interests of the industry as well as the consumers which eventually lead to economic instability. To curb this, the government often adopt regulations to prevent monopolies from having an advantage over the existing or new firms and exploiting the consumers interests. Why monopolies are discouraged is because their tendencies to earn higher profits at the cost of allocate efficiency (Tutor2u.com2004). A monopolist would set the price of the product or service high to exploit the consumers needs and wants without satisfying incompletely. Consumer sovereignty thus is replaced by producer sovereignty (Tutor2u.com 2004). This turnaround from consumer sovereignty to producer sovereignty stems from the basic economic principles of economic welfare. Welfare refers to the best use of scarce resources in an economy. This means that welfare is about maximization of resources with optimum outcome(referred to as economic efficiency). Maximization means the firm needs to achieve: a. allocate efficiency resources being allocated to the activities where they are most valued; and b. productive efficiency resources being used in the most effective way possible (Coopers Lybrand 1996). Welfare economy is based on the free market concept with the assumptions that certain conditions are fulfilled. These conditions include large number of producers and consumers; it does not take into account of income distribution or equity considerations; there is perfect competition; and economic efficiency is achieved. Monopolies are also based on the economic models of competitive market and principles which include demand curves (D), supply curves (S), average cost curves (AC), marginal cost curves (MC) and marginal revenue curves(MR) (Coopers Lybrand 1996). Term definitions Demand curve refers to the demand by the consumers and the price they are willing or able to pay for the products. This is in turn governed by the budget constraints, relative prices, preferences and income. What the consumer is willing to pay and what is the actual price are different and the difference between the two is called consumer surplus. Supply curve illustrates the volume the producers are willing to supply at a given price. There is a difference between the actual price and the price at which the producer is willing to supply the products. Thesis known as producer surplus. Marginal cost refers to the cost for producing each additional unit of output. Marginal revenue curve show the total revenue earned by producers through a change in price and output demanded (Coopers Lybrand1996). Given the above constraints and principles, the researcher illustrates the condition of competitive market through the following model and leads the readers to the condition for monopolies. In a perfectly competitive market it is assumed that there are a large number of informed buyers and sellers. The producers are the price takers while the market price is governed by the supply and demand mechanisms. It is further assumed that should any seller tries to raise the price the consumer would switch to another supplier and hence the condition of the profit maximizing firm is such that it would attempt to increase output to attain equilibrium through marginal cost and market price. This would allow the producer to earn maximum profit, incur constant average cost and no fixed cost. This condition is denoted by AC=MC (as shown in the figure). In the above diagram one observes that the consumer surplus is the consumer’s ability to pay more indicated by the shaded area while there is no producer surplus. This means welfare maximization has been achieved. Even when the price is increased from P to P1 the output level would fall from O to O1, the consumer may not be willing to buy the product even if he/she has the money to do so. Alternatively, if the price is decreased from P to P2, below the MC then the level output would rise because the consumer is willing to buy more of the product at a lesser price. Hence, under perfect competition: the price is equal to the marginal costs Producers earn a normal profit (zero producer surplus); and economic welfare is maximised, so the outcome is economically efficient (Coopers Lybrand 1996). However, in the real world market condition and competition is far from perfect and this model of perfect competition is often marred by other kinds of unfair competition including m onopolies. In the classic case of the monopoly there is only one producer who is the price setter and the consumer is the price taker. The producer would maximize profit by setting the level of MR = MC and a price that the consumer will bear. In the following figure one observes that when the producer produce low level of output the MC is below the MR. What this tactic does is that it lets the producer to control the profit by increasing output while the price is set by the demand curve. Hence in a monopoly there is: - a lower level of output (O compared with O1); A higher price (P compared with P1); Profits in excess of those required to earn a reasonable return (ABDE is monopoly profit or producer surplus); and a reduction in economic welfare; the loss of consumer surplus -resulting from higher prices is ABCE, which is more than the benefit tithe producers in terms of higher profits (ABDE); this net loss, represented by the triangle BCD, is called dead-weight loss (Coopers Lybrand 1996). With this background monopoly can be defined as: A monopoly is a large, single supplier that dominates an industry(Cleaver 2002). A single producer dominates the market by setting the price and gains high profits through producer surplus at the cost of consumer surplus. A monopoly therefore compromises the economic welfare. A monopoly can further be categorized as private or public monopolies. Private monopolies can make huge profits by charging higher prices than a compet itive firm could demand for this reason they tend to be either outlawed in market societies or taken over byte state. Public monopolies are common, intending to provide public services (e.g. postal services transport, etc.) at low cost. The lack of competition for such giants, however, whether privately or publicly owned, tends to breed inefficiency: there is no incentive to serve the public well, since consumers have no other choice of producer to buy from. (Cleaver 2002). Problem Statement Given the above brief explanation of monopolies and the consumer’s position in the competitive market, one understands that economic theory form the basis for comprehending the structure of real markets, it does not actually present a realistic picture. A framework such as the above would guide the policy-makers in regulating the monopolists and establishing pricing policies but would it maximize consumer economic welfare? What are the effects on other firms? What impact do they have on the policies and the business environment? More importantly, how the differences between public and private monopolies affect these consumers? These are some of the aspects that the researcher aims to investigate in the following sections using the above framework as a guide. Methodology To illustrate the above problem statement the researcher adopts the qualitative method to carry out the research. This entails the use of secondary resources as well as primary resources. In the next section the researcher reviews secondary literature including magazines, newspapers, websites and educational institution material. To enforce the concept of public and private monopolies the researcher also takes into account of primary resources such as journal articles, books and official publications. The purpose of combining primary and secondary resources is to ensure that the researcher has based the analysis on both the theoretical and real life situation. To illustrate true life situation the researcher has also adopted the case study method. Case studies of Royal Mail and Microsoft have been included to represent public and private monopolies respectively. The cases would help the researcher and readers to understand why monopolies behave the way they do, and how they affect consumers as well as industry to which the firms belong. By combining both the qualitative and case studies the researcher aims to analyse and come to conclusive views of how monopolies operate, its negative and positive effects on consumers and what impact do they have on the business environment. Discussion Public monopolies In an economy there are public as well as private firms. The public and private nature of firms keeps a balance of private and public consumption. The rationale is that some goods and services are required by the public but they are not willing to pay for its welfare maximization. These goods and services are demanded by the people but nobody is willing to pay the price for its supplies. For this reason the government takes upon itself to create firms, either through deregulation or setting up independently, with the purpose to provide these public goods and services to the public. With the high demand in todays global market for higher efficiency and effective allocation of resources, many economies are opting for privatization of firms. Many consider privatization as more efficient even for public sector organizations. In the majority of countries, public utilities like electricity, gas, water and postal services remain in the control of the government. However, it must be noted that most of these utilities providing companies are running at a loss and cost of the government as there are only few people who are willing to pay for the goods and services provided. According to Edwin West (1982)Once in operation it is very difficult to stop individuals tuning into obtain its benefits free of charge. This creates the now familiar â€Å"free rider† dilemma, in which nobody will produce the good because nobody is willing to pay sufficiently to cover the costs. Since there is no value or profit involved, the government becomes the undisputed provider and therefore attains the role of the monopolist. In a public monopoly from an economic point of view there is only one seller in the market. Whatever profit, if any, acquired through the operation of the public monopoly belongs to the seller, in which case it is the government or the state. Public organization is owned by the government and often requires a lot of resources for its operations. Investments from taxes and the government budget provide for the required funding to operate these public entities. It may or may not operate for profit and hence a fixed profit is not expected from government owned firm. The public sector organization becomes the undisputed seller in the industry because it runs through state subsidy and can afford to operate at a lesser or zero price. For private enterprise to compete with this structure is highly difficult especially at an operating loss. This is illustrated as follows: In a state owned scenario the competitive market price is set at MC of dissemination and ED becomes the supply curve (S). Since this price is so low there is high demand for it. In some cases such as the Royal Mail there is a constant demand or outcome which does not get affected whether the price is low or high as postal services are required by the public regardless. However, as the producer is operating at a low price that means the cost of dissemination is high and the producer is operating at a loss. The overall result is welfare loss due to the fact that the producer surplus is less than the consumer surplus which equates to producer low surplus. In the following diagram one observe that the area ABDE is the consumer surplus which is basically a loss while the area ACDE is the producer surplus which is negated by the consumer loss. The net welfare BCD is less than the loss incurred on the consumer. Even when the government subsides and allocates more resources it would generate sub-optimal resource efficiency and thereby low social welfare. Government owned organizations such as the Royal Mail often require injection of investments by increasing the subsidies with the hope to increase the social benefit and welfare of the consumer. However, the external benefits may increase for a certain period only and relapse in the long run (see figure 6.3) (Coopers Lybrand1996). This has been the case of Royal Mail in the United Kingdom. The history of Royal Mail can be traced to the period of provocation in1979 in the UK. Most of the UK enterprises had been public enterprises and the government had taken extensive steps to privatize these enterprises with the view to reduce states expenditure and to shift the burden cost to the private sector. As a result 7.2 present of the public owned enterprise reduced to 2 present (Cook 2005). Despite the size of the program some of the government organizations remain within the domain of public sector. During the 1980s under the Labour Government this process reversed and as a result most of the industries became nationalized including the steel, automotive, shipbuilding, aircraft and postal industries. Most of the policy makers favoured the public owned enterprise due to several reasons. Firstly, it accounted for a larger share of the national total output and employment share. Most of these organizations are large and required a large number of workers to support its infrastructure. Since the Labour Government favoured labour intensive organizations, through public ownership it ensured job security for the majority of the population (Cook 2005). Secondly public monopolies such as the mail, airline or the steel industry have been essential services for the country that only the government can subsidize and finance. The massive infrastructure required for their operations made them unattractive to investors. For example the education system, legal framework as well as defence system. These were essential to the public but no single investor would be interested in investing huge funds with bleak future of running at aloes. Only the government with its access to huge funding was willing to invest in such public enterprises. Thirdly, organizations belonging to the public sector may enjoy the monopolist status yet not become regulated due to the government’s backing. As a result the resources allocated for its operations secured public welfare. Fourthly, public sector organizations worked in the interests of the consumer regardless of its inefficient status or costly structure. They were accountable to the electorate and not to a group of shareholders alone making them exclusive for a large group of consumers (Cook 2005).As a result of the deregulation, the UK government had been able to secure quite a few public monopolies. It has been observed that most public monopolies are redundant and donor serve the purpose of the consumer as efficiently as the government perceive. Compared with the benefits they provide to the consumers, public monopolies are not as efficient in delivering what they promise to the consumers. Due to the slow innovation and dynamic nature of these enterprises, the result is that they do not change with the consumer need. Poor quality is inherent in the kind of service they provide due to mismanagement and lack of training in the organizations. Other factors that lead to poor quality include incompetence, irresponsibility and the lack of accountability to specific authority (Saves 2000). Since there is no competition in the industry to give public monopolies wake up call and motivating them to innovate to serve the consumer welfare the public enterprises continue to provide services that may not serve the welfare of the consumer fully. For example the need for postal service in this day and age of technological development has decreased significantly (even though parcel services are still required). Public sector enterprises tend to lead to inefficiency due to the vast management and personnel structure. According to E. S. Saves (2000)government performance are reflected in these public enterprises in terms of inefficiency, overstaffing and low productivity. These organizations tend to employ twice as many employees per customer so that the resources become a waste which could easily be allocated to another entity where they are required. Although the government regularly inject investments for appropriating incentives through pay and rewards yet the distributed amount is so less to the individual worker that they remain unsatisfied working at the public organization leading to low productivity and inefficiency. Secondly, one of the biggest complains is that the publicly owned organizations do not have a choice in the products and services they get due to the lack of variety and choice. Due to the monopolistic behaviour, public enterprises tend to lack innovation to diversify resources or products to attract the consumers. As a result the consumers are forced to purchase products that they may not prefer, thereby stifling consumer preference. Thirdly, it has been observed that most public monopolies require huge investment funds at the cost of the taxpayers and the government. Indirectly, the consumer is forced to pay a price for services or products that they may or may not want to utilize. Fourthly, the public monopolists are not accountable to any one in particular but to a body of electorate that may be influenced by political entities. Hence, if there is a Labour government then the public enterprise would get more subsidies to increase its performance and thereby serve the public welfare more. However, on the other hand if there is a Conservative government then the enterprises would get fewer subsidies, decreasing its resources and efficiency. As a result there are fewer benefits to the public despite the high price they pay through taxation and allocated cost. Public policy in the past has been concentrating on the privatization of enterprise due to several reasons. Saves (2000) notes Some state enterprises are not expected to break even or make money, but many are. Nevertheless, loss-making and debt-ridden government enterprises tend to be the rule rather than the exception even among the for-profit group, and this is the principal impetus behind the worldwide movement to privatize such entities. The underlying reason for this state of affairs is the lack of true financial accountability. That is, government agencies and GOEs are rarely subject to binding budget constraints; they can usually muster enough political pressure to extract more subsidies. Furthermore, public enterprises have less inclination towards improvements despite the high level of investments. According to Akira Nishimori and Hikaru Ogawa (2002) First, suppression of the monopoly rents and improvements in allocate efficiency: admitting private firms into a market brings about increased output and lower prices. Second, a higher level of productive efficiency in the public sector; cost reducing incentives will emerge in the public sectors service production when it faces private competitors. They describe the public monopoly situation as follows. A two-stage optimization situation for a public firm is taken as an example. The cost reduction choice of investment is the first stage and the quantity supplied to the consumer is the second stage. When the monopoly equilibrium is achieved, maximization diminishes with the increase in investment in the short term. In the long run therefore the public welfare is decreased as the price continues to increase yet welfare maximization is decreased with high costs. (Nishimori and Ogawa 2002). Not only this but the authors also are of the opinion that in a public monopoly private firms that attempt to enter the industry would remain unsuccessful because public firms undertake cost reduction investment in the face of emerging private competition. When a private firm enters the market, there is a decrease in the consumer welfare. For this reason they propose that in order to prevent decrease in the cost reducing incentive of public firm, subsidization policies such arid subsidies may be effective. (Nishimori and Ogawa 2002). Neoclassical economists are of the view that efficiency is inherent in competitive environment. Unlike public monopolies which do not breed competition, privatization thrives in competitive markets as it attracts more investments. Nigel M. Healey (1993) writes The allocate and X-efficiency gains from increasing competition are illustrated by a movement from north to south; that is, from monopoly towards more competitive markets. By combining the capital market and competition arguments, and accepting the notion that private capital markets are beneficial for economic performance, it appears that the largest efficiency gains can be expected where there is an ownership change which leads to both more competition and more reliance on private capital markets. Public monopolies therefore are not open to competition which is the reason why they tend to decrease inefficiency as competition rises. In the UK firms like National Freight Corporation, British Telecom and Royal Mail all tend to have decreasing market share when they are faced with private competition. Royal Mail is the classic case of monopoly which has been dominating the postal industry in the UK for decades. According to a market report by Postcomm (2003) the postal industry is dominated by business mail. Twenty eight present of Royal Mails financial income is derived from its top 50 customers while 59 present of its mail volume comprise of commercial mail including utility bills, financial statements, invoices and government mail. The rest 29 present is made up of marketing material. On the other hand private postal services comprise of only 11percent of the market. With 15 years licence Royal Mail has been the dominant postal service provider within the UK for all types of postage and parcel services. The Postal Services 2000 however revised this public monopoly and introduced competition in the market by allowing other companies to compete with Royal Mail. Despite this fact Royal Mail still remains the undisputed king in the postal industry creating barriers to competition. It has an advantage over its competitors because of its universal access to geographical location as well as collects and delivers mail on each working day (Postcomm Report 2003). But more importantly Royal Mail has exemption from VAT, customs privileges and parking and traffic privileges which delineate it from competitors. The company serves in uneconomic and diverse areas which tend to increase its preference among consumers. Though this cost the government but nevertheless it has set a pattern and process of delivery to diversified destination which increases its competitive edge over other potential mail companies (Postcomm Report 2003). As studied theoretically above, Royal Mail proves to be financially inefficient due to its failure to meet financial target. Despite its increase in revenue due to increase in volume sales and price Royal Mail nevertheless does not earn as much as it is required to reach equilibrium. Instead it concentrates on making profits on business accounts; prepared items etc. and lose out on stamped items. As a result the Postcomm authority has increased restrictions on Royal Mail(Postcomm Report 2003). In such a case of public monopoly, one observes that Royal Mail would continue to incur costs of investments and injections for the upkeep of the enterprise. The organization despite restrictions and strict policies has not been able to meet its performance target. But more importantly Royal Mail behaves in the same manner as in the cost dissemination model that the researcher discussed earlier. Despite high prices Royal Mail is operating at a loss due to a variety of reasons including inefficiency, lack of innovation, loss and compromising consumer welfare with its limited services. Private monopolies As opposed to public there are private monopolies which are adopted by private enterprises. Private monopolies deal with the supply side of economics. According to Charles Geist (2000) private monopolies tend to dominate the market as effectively as public monopolies due to the incentives in the form of tax cuts, economic stimulation and increase in the demand of goods and services. As a result, a private monopolist raises the prices of goods and services higher than the market price with the intention to earn higher profits. In the following illustration of private monopoly there is only one producer who influences the price. The producer sets MC=AC and setting the production low where MR=MC. This way there is low level of production which in turn creates high demand. The price set would that that the market will bear and hence the consumer becomes the price taker. In the following figure one see that low output at O would enable the producer to increase the price of the goods to meet the demand B. Since MC is below MR the producer enjoys a high level of profit with low level of output. If he increases his output to O then he/she would lose out on the price set by the market mechanisms supply-demand. As a result the monopolist profits ABDE despite the high demand ABCE. The area BCD is the dead-weight loss which the market will bear as a result of the monopoly (Coopers and Lybrand 1996). Thus, in private monopolies do not actually serve the purpose of satisfying the consumer welfare because it involves: - a lower level of output (O compared with O1); A higher price (P compared with P1); Profits in excess of those required to earn a reasonable return (ABDE is monopoly profit or producer surplus); and a reduction in economic welfare; the loss of consumer surplus -resulting from higher prices is ABCE, which is more than the benefit tithe producers in terms of higher profits (ABDE); this net loss, represented by the triangle BCD, is called dead-weight loss.(Coopers and Lybrand 1996) Sometimes the government such as those under the Reagan’s administration induce private monopolies through privatization policies to get the country out of economic recession. However, according to Bauer et al (1995) The impact of a regulatory system depends upon its influence on managerial behaviour. In the United States, where private monopoly suppliers of electricity, gas and water have existed for many years, the regulatory system has led to confusion, litigation and commercial disaster. The regulations control, inter alia, the level of service, environmental considerations, and pricing, much as in Britain. â€Å"As a result private monopolies tend to affect the consumers and do not really satisfy their needs. Not only has this but it been observed that private monopolies run on the basis of rate of returns on private capital. According to Healey(1993) where a ceiling on the rate of return on capital exists, the incentive for management to control costs is reduced, and an incentive exists to extend the capital base through more investment—the so-called Avert-Johnson effect. This effect compromises the consumer welfare and undermines the enterprise objectives of serving the public. Privatization and the promotion of private monopolies therefore are costly as they need regulatory bodies to monitor them. Yet despite this fact policy makers are of the opinion that to increase firms ‘efficiency, privatization is the most feasible process. As a result private monopoly develops. Horton and Ridge (1972) writes about private monopoly as follows: Private monopoly is also more subject to erosion than governmental monopoly. Competition will make itself felt in one way or another whenever the monopoly price is far above the competitive price. There cent stock-market hearings offer a dramatic example. The commission charged on large purchases and sales is clearly exorbitant. As a result, firms executing such orders have been able to get the business only by agreeing to give up part, often a large part, of their commissions to other firms designated by the customers clearly an indirect form of price-cutting. In addition, a third market has developed in which large traders deal directly, bypassing the organized exchanges. A less dramatic but more pervasive example is competition among firms to provide free services to customers in the form of investment information and advice, attractive lounges with tickers, and so on. Erosion of this sort tends to undermine the management of private organizations and eventually lead to inefficiency which has been the objective of the government for inducing it in the first place. According to Hay and Morris (1991) whenever business activities are monopolistic in nature it involves engineering factors. Engineering here refers to the engineering of management processes and operation of social and economic factors within the enterprise. When the monopolist serve the market at a lower unit cost than other competing firms are unable to match the price or the resources upon which the monopolist is operating. As a result the monopolist creates barriers to entries and drive out competition in the industry. Incentives to efficiency under monopoly prove to be weak as it is cheaper for the market to have two suppliers who are also competitors rather than a single producer. Button the other hand for a monopolist, instead of increasing goods quantity and decrease the price, it would be more profitable to use the same resources to produce related products. One example is the case of Microsoft which has used its technology base to create products that are interconnected and at a high price. As a result the consumer is forced to purchase these products because it is convenient for them to use Microsoft products without having technology clashes (Hay and Morris 1991). Not only this but private monopolies largely lie within the domain of the private sector in which the authority and the accountability lies with the shareholders they serve. The government and policy makers only have authority to the extent of governing it through regulations. The monopolists tend to exist for their own profitability and efficiency as long as its resources are allocated for maximization. Ultimately, it is the market and the consumer which is affected. Private monopolies for example tend to drive competition out of the market due to large consumer ba

Comparing the Wise Men of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Wise Men of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE I have heard it said that a smart person learns from his own mistakes but a wise person learns from the mistakes of others. In the two books, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and SHE, we have two characters that emerge as wise men. In Jekyll, it is the character of Utterson, the stoic but curious lawyer, and in SHE it is the character of Holly, the stoic but curious academic. It is interesting to note that neither character chooses this fate of wise man, but rather has it thrust upon him through fate and curious circumstances. It is because of their high moral character that they are selected to bear witness to extraordinary events. The question is, how far are we willing to go to push the bounds of knowledge; when do we stop being smart and start being wise?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Curiosity begets the quest for knowledge and curiosity is essential to these characters, "If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek"(Jekyll, pg 8), Utterson thinks to himself as he begins his journey. In order to become wise though, it is important to avoid being consumed by that which you seek. Instead, it is crucial to bear witness to that which either limits us or somehow gives us a greater understanding of ourselves. Holly at first is skeptical. "Anyway, I believe the whole thing is the most unmitigated rubbish. I know that there are curious things and forces in nature which we rarely meet with, and, when we do meet them, cannot understand. But until I see it with my own eyes, which I am not likely to, I never will believe that there is any means of avoiding death"(SHE, pg 46-47). I wonder if Utterson would not have responded similarly had he known what depths he was about to plumb. Nevertheless, Holly takes up the quest in the name of du ty and adventure or maybe it is just plain curiosity.  Ã‚   These two characters share a common purpose in that they have both been entrusted with something valuable yet perplexing. For Utterson, it is Jekyll's will and for Holly it is the chest given to him by Vincey as well as the responsibility for his only son Leo. This idea of trust is important because the wise must be of a certain moral character as well as educational background to accept knowledge that will extend the bounds of reason without corrupting that which they learn.

Atlantic Slave Trade Essay

The origins of the Atlantic Slave Trade were products of Western Europe’s expansion of power that began at the beginning of the 1500’s through the 1900‘s. The main contributing European countries to the Atlantic Slave Trade were Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, and England. Portugal lead the movement during the 1400’s and arrived in Western Africa in hopes to find Christian allies to spread Christianity against the Muslims of Northern Africa. But they soon became more interested in trade (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). Slavery, however, has existed in all cultures for thousands of years. For example, Arab merchants and West African Kings imported white European slaves. At first, the slave trade focused on women and children who would serve as domestic servants. But later the trade switched to focusing on young men for agricultural labor in the Americas. The Portuguese traded primarily for gold, ivory, pepper, as well as slaves. After a few decades, the had captured hundreds of slaves (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). It’s misleading to say all slaves were captured by raiders, because in many cases they were bought from African traders. Columbus’s voyages completely changed the slave trade. Once colonies in the Americas were established, many of the Native Americans who were enslaved died of disease and overwork causing a need for more African slaves. During the 1600’s, sugar plantations, gold and silver mines produced an enormous demand for labor. Soon after, markets for coffee, tobacco and rice cultivation yet again increased the demand for African slaves (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). By the early 1700’s, the English dominated the Slave Trade, carrying about 20,000 slaves per year from Africa to the Americas. By the end of the century, over 50,000 slaves were being transported per year. After 1700, the importation of firearms heightened the intensity of many of the wars and resulted in a great increase in the numbers of enslaved peoples. European forces 2 ?intervened in some of the localized fighting and in warfare all along the Atlantic coast. They sought to obtain captives directly in battle or as political rewards for having backed the winning side (â€Å"The transatlantic slave,† ). The enormous amount of slave labor and its incredibly low cost highly contributed to the advancements of the Industrial Revolution. Also during this time, many civil wars throughout Africa produced captives which were sold as slaves in Western Africa. Raiders often tied the captives together with ropes and secured them with wooden yokes around their necks. Many captives died of hunger and exhaustion before even being put on ships. Other slave captives decided to kill themselves rather than be forced into slavery (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). Once the captives reached the coast of Western Africa, the captives were kept in â€Å"factories†, which were headquarters of the slave traders. These factories contained warehouses with supplies and dungeons to keep the captives in. In these factories, the slavers would divide families up to decrease the possibility of a rebellion happening. After a few weeks in these factories, the slave holders would brand the â€Å"fit† slaves bearing the symbol of that particular trading company (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). European brutalization of the captives was an attempt to destroy the African’s sense of self-identity. The voyage from Africa to the first stop in the Caribbean generally lasted between two and three months. As the demand for slaves increased, so did piracy. Many opposing nations would fight and attempt to steal each other’s slave ships seeing how valuable slaves were at the time (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). Other natural causes that contributed to the destruction of slave ships were hurricanes as well as doldrums, which are long periods of time with no wind gusts to propel the ships. ?The ships themselves were designed to maximize the amount of slaves to be carried. The cargo space where the slaves kept were only about five feet tall. And slaves were chained together in pairs to minimize the chance of a rebellion. Many times, especially during storms, the slavers neglected to feed the slaves or change the tubs and buckets used for toilets, as well removing dead bodies (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). Sanitation was also a major contributor to death and disease. Only about three or four toilet tubs were provided for all of the slaves. Mortality rates were exceptionally high on the ships, averaging around 15%. Overall, about one third of all slaves died during the whole process of moving them from Africa to the Americas. The main causes of mortality on the ships were diseases such as small pox, malaria, dysentery, yellow fever and measles (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). There was however still rebellions from the captive slaves aboard the ships. Rebellions usually occurred when the ship was getting ready to set sail or when they ships were still within sight of the Africa land mass, when there as still hope for the slaves to return home. Often times slaves would actually starve themselves intentionally or try to jump off the ship to drown. But to combat this, the slavers would sometimes put nets on the side of the ship to stop jumpers and to deal with those who would refuse to eat, the slavers would use hot coals to force individual’s mouths open to eat (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). The women aboard the slave ships were treated very badly as well. They were often raped and sexually abused. Many times, all of the women were kept in separate rooms to make it easier for the slavers to take advantage of them. The slave ships would generally arrive at islands in the Caribbean for rest to make them more healthy and appealing for buyers. The english preferred the island of Barbados for this 4 ?resting period. Barbados experienced a jump in its slave population from 1,000 to 20,000 in the first decade after sugar cultivation was introduced around 1640 (Smallwood, 2007). This resting period in the Caribbean came to be termed seasoning and on these islands the slavers divided into a few different categories of slaves depending on how acculturated the slaves were to the New World’s culture and lifestyle. These categories were those who were born in the Americas, those who had lived in the Americas for a long period of time, and the new slaves from Africa (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). During seasoning, the slavers would attempt to modify the behavior of the slaves to make them effective laborers. The new slaves were also given new names and were attempted to be taught English so they could obey commands (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). The planters in the Caribbean would often rely on the already acculturated slaves to train the new slaves because it was easier that way. The physical condition of the arriving slaves to buyers would many times be a disappointment to the buyers. Although the slavers would shave and wash them, the illusion of health would not always conceal the truth to the buyers. Also, many times the cargoes included too many women, children, or older people. This was also a disappointment to the buyers and the regularity of these outcomes were soon considered â€Å"normal† (Smallwood, 2007). The planters then assessed the successful seasoning of slaves by three criteria: firstly if they survived the journey, secondly if the could adapt to the new climate and new foods, and lastly if they were able to learn a new language to obey commands. However, as many as half of the slaves ended up dying within the first three years after arriving at the Americas (Smallwood, 2007). Of the estimated ten million men, women, and children who survived the Middle Passage, approximately 450,000 Africans disembarked on North America’s shores. They thus 5 ?represented only a fraction – 5 percent– of those transported during the 350-year history of the international slave trade. Brazil and the Caribbean each received about nine times as many Africans (â€Å"The transatlantic slave,† ). The Atlantic Slave trade began to diminish in the late 1700’s by both humanitarian efforts as well as declining need for slaves in the modernized industrial economy. The lasting effects of the diminishing of the slave trade proved to be negative for Africa. Many of the Western African societies had become dependent on the slave trade (Hine, Hine & Harrold, 2011). Looking at the statistics of the slave trade, from 1501-1525 it is estimated that around 13,000 slaves were transported to the Americas (â€Å"The trans-atlantic slave,† 2008). By 1601-1625, over 350,000 slaves were estimated to have been brought to the Americas. At the turn of the 18th century, from 1701-1725, over 1,000,000 slaves were transported from Africa to the Americas. The Atlantic slave trade peaked from 1776-1800 with over 2,000,000 slaves being transported during that time period. The Slave Trade holistically contributed to the enslavement and migration of over 12,500,000 slaves from 1500-1866 (â€Å"The trans-atlantic slave,† 2008). The Atlantic Slave Trade was a horrible series of events that should have never happened. At least we can be optimistic about mankind’s ability to learn from our mistakes and improve our actions.

7 Ways to Close Out the Year with a Bang

7 Ways to Close Out the Year with a Bang At this point, 2016 is old news. It’s practically Christmas, which is practically New Year’s. But in the middle of all of the celebrating (or rushing to get projects done before your office is a ghost town for the holidays), there are some small (but mighty effective) things you can do to wind the year down in style. 1. Give your network some loveIf you had a mentor or colleague who helped you get through the year, now’s the time to let that person know how thankful you are. Nothing fancy required- a heartfelt note or a small token of your thanks is all you need to bolster your professional relationship with that person. I’m a fan of baking cookies for colleagues and friends this time of year- it’s a thoughtful, homemade way to say, â€Å"I’m thinking of you at the end of a great year.† (Of course, it’s good to know if this person has any special dietary issues if you go that route†¦ you don’t want to hand someone a plate of delicious peanut butter cookies if they have a major peanut allergy.)2. Set up your network for next yearThink about people you’d like to connect with in the new year to move your career forward. If you already know them and want to get to know them better, now’s the time to reach out with a simple holiday message that includes your hope to talk more in the new year. It’s best to try to set up a concrete date for coffee, lunch, or after-work drinks in January.3.  Take care of things on your pending listOnce you’re back in the office at the beginning of January, you won’t feel like going through and cleaning up loose ends from the year before. So do it now! Go through your inbox. If you have lingering to-dos that aren’t especially time-sensitive, now’s the time to put some time aside and check them off so that they’re not still haunting you later. While you’re poking around your inbox, take stock of any mailing lists you’re on. Which ones do you really need? Keep those, and unsubscribe from the rest.4. Clean your deskJust like your email inbox and your to-do list, you probably don’t want to come back to a messy desk. I know when I rush out the door and come back to a cluttered desk, it adds stress points before my day has even begun. Do â€Å"January You† a favor, and take some time to clean off your desk. Your pens don’t all have to be pointing in the same direction with your stapler at a perfect 90 degree angle (unless you’re into that, in which case have at it), but definitely get rid of any papers you don’t need anymore and toss outdated Post-It reminders you wrote to yourself back in May. If possible, do this as early in possible in December so that you’re not time-crunched and trying to get out of the office at the end of the month.5. Brush up your resumeDid you know that January and February are the most popular months for job change s or promotions? If you think you might be in the market for a new or upgraded gig soon, now is a great time to look at your resume and add any new skills or achievements that you’ve acquired  since you last updated it.Even if you’re not planning on changing jobs, this is still a great exercise to do annually. Be prepared! You never know when an opportunity will present itself- and wouldn’t it be great to say, â€Å"Oh, here’s a copy of my up-to-the-minute resume!†6. Revise your online profilesThis is an extension of updating your resume. What’s the point in getting your it in order if everything online still reflects the slightly outdated you? Make sure your LinkedIn profile- and any other online sites where you use your professional brand- is up-to-date and ready to go for the new year.7. Get ready to improve yourselfYou’re already fabulous, but who among us couldn’t use a few positive tweaks? Identify one or two areas wher e you could use some improvement, and come up with a game plan for 2017. Sign up for classes that start in January, or figure out where in your schedule you can take an hour or two per week to work on that skill area. Thinking about that now (and getting the ball rolling on any logistics) will make it easier to get started in January, before winter inertia settles in.So even though it may seem like 2016 is running short, you still have plenty of time for these small investments that could pay big dividends in the new year.

Chopins The Awakening essays

Chopins The Awakening essays Still Asleep and Mostly Happy that Way: The Awakening (1899) as Socially Critical Text and (and in) Kate Chopins Time Within Kate Chopins novel The Awakening, which was first published in 1899 to mixed (actually, mostly negative) reviews, and then greeted publicly with a great deal of condemnation (Sprinkle, 1995), the main character Edna Pontellier suffers increasing despair and hopelessness, as a married woman of 28 with two small sons. These spring from her realizations that she is unhappy, misunderstood, and, worst of all, alone with her feelings in a traditional Catholic, Creole-dominated social environment in which womens roles, in particular, are especially narrow and truncated. Once Edna knows she returns the younger, enviably carefree Robert Lebruns attraction to her, she also recognizes, regretfully and with wistfulness for lost youthful opportunities at passion, that she is nevertheless trapped inside a loveless marriage, with responsibilities to small children. All of that spawns the beginning of Ednas sad, slow, lonely, and ultimately fatal, awakening that summer at Grande Isl e. Initially within this novel, Edna Pontellier simply admits, implicitly, to herself if not yet aloud to anyone else, when alone in her bedroom, after she and Leonce quarrel at dinner over its poor quality (he blames her) that she is alienated from her husband and frustrated with mindless, meaningless, mundane married life. Edna, at this same time, has grown increasingly indifferent, to the point of near-hostility, even, about any and all of her expected wifely and motherly roles: from organizing the household and managing the hired help to accepting visits from social callers to making light conversation with a husband with whom she feels nothing important in common. The best evidence of all this, is that Edna is content to carry these daily obligations of marriage badly, or ev...

Mid term number one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mid term number one - Essay Example He is the greatest combatant and fighter among the Achaeans. He is invincible because his mother, who is a goddess, dipped him in the River Styx when he was a baby. His only weak spot is his heel, which is vulnerable to any weapon (Pope). Achilles possesses a powerful awareness of communal responsibility, which initially is obvious in his apprehension for the chaos and disarray in the Achaean camp. A lethal disease is killing the soldiers, and Achilles is determined to find out why this is happening. The king, Agamemnon is doing nothing for the soldiers, so Achilles is determined to do something to help the soldiers. He orders the entire army to convene, which is against the order of the set of rules because the king is the only person authorized to assemble the army. Achilles determination to bring order in the Achaean camp is only successful to a degree, because he discovers the reason for the plague is the king himself who is responsible for the death of hundreds of soldiers. Apol lo eventually ends the plague, and Achilles pulls out his troops from the Achaean army, even after which, order does not return to the Achaeans (Pope). Although, both Achilles and Agamemnon share a common responsibility for the plague, Achilles shows ill-temper and is quarrelsome which diminishes the little bit of goodwill that does exist. Achilles is very angry that Agamemnon takes all the best war prices, although he does not fight on the battlefield to earn these prizes. In his anger, he tries to kill the king, but is prevented from doing so by the Goddess Athena (Pope). Achilles is justified in leaving the Achaean army because the king demanded and took the maiden Briseis, who is Achilles’ war prize. Achilles feels that this is an insult to him personally and can be compared to the kidnapping of Helen. He feels himself to be in the same situation as Menelos, and he thinks he is within his right as was the war against the Trojans. Although, Agamemnon tries to placate Achil les by returning Briseis along with other gifts, Achilles is still angry which shows that one of his major character flaws is his extreme and unnecessary pride. Achilles believes that the gifts offered by the king do not compensate for the offense that he has suffered, added to the fact that the kind had previously taken back given gifts, and he could do so again. Therefore, Achilles believes that the king is not sincere about his promise of more gifts. The relationship with the gods is unusual in the context because his mother was a goddess and his father a mere mortal. It is also unusual river god attempts to drown Achilles for his hatred of all Trojans and the desecration of their corpses’ by denying them burial rites as he did to Hector. It is important to note that that the River god is the only god that wants to punish him, but later the other gods also regards Achilles in the same manner as the river god because of his excesses against the Trojans. The River god wants to deny Achilles the rites of Greek burial and tries to smoother him in a deluge of mud. The Greek warriors regard Achilles as the most important combatant against the Trojans, and his sulking affects them as they depend upon him to lead them to achieve victory. When Achilles is sulking or in a bad mood,

Analysis of the American Cancer Society and General Motor Company Ltd Essay

Analysis of the American Cancer Society and General Motor Company Ltd - Essay Example   The American Cancer Society is mainly funded by donors, including the World Bank and various support groups. The World Bank is the society’s largest funder. The society also receives funds from the services that they offer to the cancer patients (Epstein, 2011). Other sources of funding for ACS include investment income, grants, and contributions from well-wishers. The operations of the organization are mainly run through volunteers drawn from all over the United States of America (American Cancer Society, 2011). The ACS is exempt from the taxpayer status, Form 990 of the year 2009 that the Society is a 501 (c) (3) organization which exempt from any tax obligations to the state. This status was granted in 2009 (American Cancer Society, 2011). Ethical issue The ACS, like all other organizations faces various challenges. One of the greatest challenges affecting ACS is self-interest. Investigations conducted on the ACS reveal that the Society has previously shown more interes t in profits than on cancer prevention. In 2005 the ACS estimated that at least 1.37 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed. However, it is alleged that instead of intensifying research on new methods for preventing and combating cancer, the Society focused more on profiting from cancer grants (Isaacs, 2010). For example, an Occupy Wall Street report alleges that the ACS has put a greater financial emphasis on radiation and chemotherapy research than on life-saving prevention methods. ACS faces allegations citing that has focused largely on conventional medication techniques for treating cancer instead of preventive techniques. The accusations also include discrediting physician research on cancer preventive techniques. As such the society is unethical for trying to make money out of the large numbers of cancer patients through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which are considered unhealthy (Epstein, 2011). Causes One of the greatest causes of this situation stems from the ACSâ₠¬â„¢s culture of working with various stakeholders and particularly giving greater consideration to the views of the organization’s financial supporters (Epstein, 2011). The Society’s financial ties with the drug industry have skewed its policies regarding the environmental causes of cancer and the best approaches to managing it. This interest makes the fight against cancer difficult and has been linked to the increase in cancer deaths and incidences as sufficient preventive strategies have not been put in place because many drug companies discourage it (Isaacs, 2010). While the drug industry wants to make money selling therapeutic drugs and equipment, the ACS wishes to continue benefitting from the considerable financial support it gets from the organizations as well as profits from patient treatments. The other likely cause for the American Cancer Society’s preference for therapeutic methods is that cancer research is quite costly, especially research for prev entive techniques. The organization seems to endorse both chemotherapy and radiotherapy techniques because they are a cheaper alternative in terms of research costs. A lot of research findings justifying the methods have already been provided both by the ACS and many drug companies.  Ã‚